Mayo 2-17
Meath 0-14
AND SO, MAYO live to fight another day.
In typical fashion, James Horan’s men did it the hard way in what was effectively a knock-out Super 8s game against Meath at Croke Park.
All was well and truly in the melting pot, but Kevin McLoughlin’s 61st-minute goal ultimately sent the Westerners on their way. Another late one from Cillian O’Connor — his penalty was saved by substitute keeper Mark Brennan but the Ballintubber star slotted the rebound — put the icing on the cake of a 2-17 to 0-14 win.
That said, the scoreline was an unfair reflection of the game as a whole. Meath held their own throughout, but Mayo won it with experience, and in typical Mayo fashion down the home straight. It was far from the most memorable or high-quality of clashes, but the ending was definitely an exciting one.
After both sides tasted defeat last weekend, both needed a win to keep their hopes of an All-Ireland semi-final spot alive — and Mayo’s focus now turns straight to a final day showdown against Donegal in two weeks’ time.
James Horan made three late changes to his Westerner side; Chris Barrett, Kevin McLoughlin and Fergal Boland all starting in place of Eoin O’Donoghue, Keith Higgins and Ciaran Treacy.
It wasn’t the most exciting of starts at HQ, but truth be told, the Royals looked more lively early on. It took seven minutes for the first score of the game to be kicked, Michael Newman clipping over a free before Bryan Menton added another from play.
Darren Coen hit Mayo’s first with the clock just short of nine minutes, before James McEntee pulled one back at the other end.
It wasn’t until the 12th minute that the Green and Red truly announced themselves on the scene, courtesy of two fine Fionn McDonagh points in quick succession.
Andy McEntee’s men were quick to stop any momentum building, however, as the in-form Donal Keogan burst through on goal, only for his shot to be stopped by David Clarke. Newman was there to fire the rebound over, but Kevin McLoughlin bit back at the Hill end.
From there, the cracks in the Mayo defence started to come to the fore. Meath really should have done better before the posts, with Ethan Devine’s brilliant effort their only score between 17 and 35 minutes.
In that time, Fergal Boland, Jason Doherty and Cillian O’Connor (free) got their names on the scoresheet, making it 0-7 to 0-5.
As half time approached, Mayo looked to be finding their form, but late points from Cillian O’Sullivan and Seamus Lavin drew Meath back level for the fourth time by the break.
There was bad news for the Royals, however, as they lost Newman to injury — but that didn’t phase them on the restart. His replacement, 19-year-old Shane Walsh made no mistake with a free to take the lead.
Boland responded, and Andy Moran’s introduction from the bench lifted the Mayo forward line, but scores from James Conlon and Walsh (free) soon had Meath into a two-point lead.
In a low-quality second half with some shocking wides at both ends, O’Connor and Walsh exchanged frees, before the former tagged on two more scores — one of those from play — to bring Mayo level with just under 20 minutes to go.
Lavin, again, and Moran traded points and with the home straight approaching, there were stark differences at both ends. Walsh missed back-to-back frees in front of the Hill, while Colm Boyle stepped up with an inspirational score to put Mayo one up.
Another leader, Lee Keegan, put his hand up with 61 minutes on the clock, while James Carr followed suit with another important point.
And then came the decisive blow. Kevin McLoughlin sent the Green and Red fans wild with a crucial goal; the 1-4 they scored without reply ultimately settling the game.
O’Connor and Walsh (two) again exchanged frees as the clock ran down, and to Meath’s credit, they didn’t give up.
But it was O’Connor who grabbed a second goal after Andrew Colgan was black carded for a third-man tackle and Mayo awarded a penalty.
And Jason Doherty topped off the nine-point win with a fine score.
Scorers for Meath: Shane Walsh (0-5, 5f), Michael Newman (0-2, 1f), Seamus Lavin (0-2), Brian Menton, James McEntee, Ethan Devane, Cillian O’Sullivan, Seamus Lavin and James Conlon (0-1 each).
Scorers for Mayo: Cillian O’Connor (1-5, 4f), Kevin McLoughlin (1-1), Fionn McDonagh, Jason Doherty and Fergal Boland (0-2 each), Darren Coen, Andy Moran, Colm Boyle, Lee Keegan and James Carr (0-1 each).
Meath
1. Andrew Colgan (Donaghmore Ashbourne)
2. Séamus Lavin (St Peter’s Dunboyne)
3. Conor McGill (Ratoath)
4. Shane Gallagher (Simonstown Gaels)
5. Donal Keogan (Rathkenny)
6. Padraic Harnan (Moynalvey — joint-captain)
7. Gavin McCoy (St Peter’s Dunboyne)
8. Bryan Menton (Donaghmore Ashbourne – joint-captain)
9. Shane McEntee (St Peter’s Dunboyne)
10. Ethan Devine (Na Fianna)
11. Bryan McMahon (Ratoath)
12. Thomas McGovern (Donaghmore Ashbourne)
13. Cillian O’Sullivan (Moynalvey)
14. Mickey Newman (Kilmainham)
15. James Conlon (St Colmcille’s)
Subs
23. Shane Walsh for Michael Newman (37)
20. Barry Dardis for Gavin McCoy (49)
18. Sean Tobin for Ethan Devine (52)
26. Thomas McGovern for Seamus Lavin (64)
17. Thomas O’Reilly for Bryan McMahon (65)
16. Marcus Brennan for Andrew Colgan (black card) (74)
Mayo
1. David Clarke (Ballina Stephenites)
2. Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore)
3. Brendan Harrison (Aghamore)
19. Chris Barrett (Belmullet)
5. Lee Keegan (Westport)
6. Colm Boyle (Davitts)
22. Kevin McLoughlin (Knockmore)
8. Donal Vaughan (Castlebar Mitchels)
9. Seamus O’Shea (Breaffy)
10. Fionn McDonagh (Westport)
11. Aidan O’Shea (Breaffy)
26. Fergal Boland (Aghamore)
13. Cillian O’Connor (Ballintubber)
14. Darren Coen (Hollymount-Carramore)
15. Jason Doherty (Burrishoole)
Subs
24. Andy Moran for Darren Coen (HT)
25. James Carr for Fergal Boland (48)
4. Eoin O’Donoghue for Stephen Coen (55)
20. James McCormack for Seamus O’Shea (63)
17. Michael Plunkett for Lee Keegan (74)
12. Ciaran Treacy for Kevin McLoughlin (74)
Referee: Ciarán Brannigan (Down).
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There won’t be a marriage equality legislation milked in Roscommon tonight…
@Phil O’ Meara: just take the rest of the day off your work here is done
Great performance from the Rossies .
I’ve a feeling this Roscommon team could go all the way and win it out
@Jamie: TAXI!!!!
@Martin McKenna:
Easy on the beer hahaha !!!
@Jamie: Is your brain broken or what?
2nd time to be completely embarrassed in the championship in two years. If we lose to Donegal in 2 weeks I think it could be time for change because the players are there to do better than we are doing. McStay had his tactics spot on.
@Damien Costello: Be afraid. You Will lose to Donegal. Donegal have been woeful so far but this team is young and gifted. They’re really to explode.
@Enda McCallion: Donegal have a very good young team and it would be unfair to judge them on the Tyrone result, they had a good league campaign and the result against Meath should bring them on a good bit. But Galway need a big result they have not won a knockout game against a top top side since they won the All-Ireland in 2001 and that’s not good enough. But I’d expect Donegal to win now after that miserable showing today.
As a galway supporter I say well played roscommon. This galway team will not do much as our defense is quite poor and fair play to the rossies for exposing that, best of luck in their next game.
Yeeeoow were gonna have a sam maguire before mayooo
@Jack: ya, ros will go all the way now :-/
Connacht final win in Salthill, doesn’t get much better than that.
Congratulations to Kevin McStay and all the players on the perfect display.
Roscommon Abu
Fantastic result for Roscommon. 1st Connacht title since 2010. Against the odds they dominated the game from beginning to end. The best team on the day by a distance. Onwards and upwards for the Rossies.
@SYM-Metal: weren’t you on here yesterday slagging off mayo and i people from castlebar? tell me again where roscommons manager is from paul? LOL!
@Dec: what ,your claiming Roscommon only won because they had a Mayo manager. Mayo made same claim about O Mahony managing Galway in 98 and 01 but when he went back to Mayo he couldn’t win anything. Leave it out .
@Finnster: no i’m not. i’m showing paul up to be the hypocrite that he is that he can slag off castlebar people one day and support a team managed by one the next. i’m delighted roscommon won as my wife is from roscommon. i would never like to be like yourself and paul scanlon who spend more time slagging off other teams than supporting there own. stop stretching for an argument finisher.
@Dec: it’s so easy to rile the Mayo supporters. I do support My team and Galway and Mayo won’t win any All Iteland this year .
@Finnster: sorry to tell u, i’m not riled. in my house growing up if we were beaten by galway we cheered them on for the rest of the year, because we’re neighbours and wanted gas in the west to do well. that would be fairly alien to you and scanlon. ye are the type that would curse a neighbour that had a better car, even if it was only for a few years. pretty sure mayo won’t win this year too but we came closer than anyone, including myself, thought we would. we’ll see how they get on this year.
@Dec: to be fair Dec you are way off the mark, I for years supported mayo as a second team and was probably at more mayo games than a lot of my mayo friends, I got sick of the showboating and cockiness from Mayo players and turned bitter. You may be one of the sound lads like my mates from Ballina so apologies.
@Dec: McStay’s success has nothing to do with where he was born, what a ridiculous notion. You say you are happy for Roscommon’s win today, yet you want to minimise their achievement by suggesting it’s because their manager is from Mayo? So It had nothing to do with the guts, grit and determination of a group of talented young footballers who worked their ass off in training to win this title? Today is their reward.
Didn’t say that Scanlon, read what I said to Finnster
McStay currently lives and has lived most of his adult life in Roscommon. His wife is a Roscommon woman and his daughers are Roscommon supporters.
When McStay seeked to manage his own county at senior level they said no to him. He has now moved on from that disappointment and has won Connacht for Roscommon totally against the odds and for the outsiders looking in he won Connacht without a number or quality footballers that couldn’t commit this year Neill Collins,David Keenan,Cathal Cregg or lads ruled out due to injury Kevin Higgins,Ultan Harney,Cathal Compton. After this success no doubt about it the best is yet to come for the rossies!
Where is all the haters now? Up Roscommon.
@Eoin Mulhern: We’re still here just a little quieter.
@Eoin Mulhern: right here, enjoy your moment . Shouldn’t be in it for too much longer.
@Richy: good man, cheers horse.
@Eoin Mulhern: Great display despite half the team leaving and turning their back on their county.
I love Roscommon…..
Come on the Rossies
Roscommon have some fantastic players as their recent underage success suggests.
Pound for pound Diarmuid Murtagh is as good a forward in the country, and if they can get Clann Na Gael pair Ultan Harney & Donie Shine back, they’ll be a match for anyone.
@Adelaide Kelly: good point, I made the same comment about diarmuid last year and how we were missing him, he’d walk on any team and I got destroyed, different class
@Adelaide Kelly: @Adelaide Kelly: donie shine was sitting where he should be. In the stands where he should be. He is no where good enough and hasn’t been for a long time.
Kevin has picked a panel that’s good enough to win Connaught. That panel should be supported and forget about the players that opted out or wer dropped.
@james murray: It’s only 7 years since he single handedly kicked Roscommon to a Cconnacht c’ship in 2010. He was the star player on that great minor team of 2006.
Enda Smith is a super talent also, would get on most teams in the land.
@Adelaide Kelly: 7 years and all he done was kick handy frees. What has he done for clann last two years. Very little.
@Adelaide Kelly: for the style of football Roscommon are playing he far to slow.
@james murray: He was the top club scoring forward by a mile when Clann won the county senior title two year ago. Last year when they won the league his scoring was the difference and this year between league and championship he’s the top scoring forward in the county. So far from very little… as for handy frees don’t ever underestimate the importance of a good free taker.
Tipperary all over again. Sheer arrogance exposes a mediocre Galway side again.
@Jack Strong: that and some ridiculously stupid short kickouts
@Jack Strong: tipperary are not in connaught , wise up.
@Michael Heery: I’m referring to their hammering of Galway in the quarters last year, you amadan.
@Jack Strong: you could only be a Mayo man taking such delight in Galway being beaten. Well done to Roscommon. We can take our beating in Galway .
You’re fairly fond of sticking the boot into Mayo yourself Finnster. Pot/kettle/black comes to mind.
@Spodo Comodo: indeed I am because ye can’t take yer bating and we will win Sam again before Mayo.
@Finnster: says the man with the obsession with mayo lol.
@Finnster: both teams piss poor :-D
@Hello there friend: agreed
@Patrick O’Sullivan: what ?
No stopping us now.
Great win for the rossies!
A Connacht championship is what these players deserve.
First and last football match I’ll watch this year
Lavelle is by far the stupidest keeper I’ve ever come across. What’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results? Fullback line (except maybe Kerins) for the scrap heap aswell……
@Michael Heery: wat dope it was obvious what he meant delighted for roscommon then again when you belive your own hype
Are the pairings known for the next round ?
Galway are playing Donegal, Mayo playing cork. Venues and times decided tomorrow
@Dec: limerick and Castlebar possibly.
@Dec: What about Tipp?
@Dec: Mayo 4 Sam :D
@Mick Power: they will be in the draw tomorrow with armagh, carlow and monaghan i think. The winners from those fixtures will play runners up in leinster and ulster. The other 3 will be hoping to avoid monaghan in the draw tomorrow i’d imagine.
Great result for Roscommon. I hope Gay Sheerin comes out publicly and apologises for his stupid comments earlier in the year. He has been proved very wrong today.
Thought Galway were very poor, going backwards fast after that result. Hard to see them getting anything against Donegal. Ref did them no favours at all though. He looked very unfit and unable to keep up with the play, gave at least two soft free’s to Roscommon because he was so far back from play.
Poor back 4 was cause of most of the trouble. Sort that out, and one had a decent team who may get to a semifinal, but not a chance of winning based on past 2 years performances.